College dreams beckon low-income students

Chicago Scholars program connects needy high achievers with top universities

October 29, 2011|By Bonnie Miller Rubin | Tribune reporter

Imani Marshall, a senior at Whitney Young Magnet High School, talks with a representative from George Washington University at the College Scholars fair this week. "This is where I hope all my hard work, all those long nights will pay off,” said Marshall, who ended up getting an offer from George Washington. (Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune)

Imani Marshall studied the day's schedule of college interviews: George Washington, Amherst, Harvard, Wellesley and Colgate.

It would be an impressive lineup by anyone's standards. But for Marshall — a first-generation college applicant from the West Side — it felt like the equivalent of a winning lottery ticket.

"This is where I hope all my hard work, all those long nights will pay off," said the senior, whose email includes the moniker "future leader."

To the casual observer, the event looked like a typical college fair, but the scene at the University of Illinois at Chicago this week was so much more. About 70 institutions — including some of the nation's top-tier names — were there to connect with stellar students from some of the city's most blighted neighborhoods. Many of the teens were offered acceptances, even scholarships, on the spot.

"We like to think success is about merit, but it's also about access — and we can change that, if we choose," said Karen G. Foley, president of Chicago Scholars, the program that nurtures low-income college-goers, giving them the tools to achieve their dreams.

Its target students, she said, are hampered from the start. They don't have college-savvy parents to help them navigate the unwritten rules of admission. They typically begin their college search later than their wealthier peers. And they don't have the money for high-priced consultants and tutors to improve test scores and essays.

Moreover, their lack of resources limits their ability to visit campuses. They often can't afford the fees to apply to multiple schools and increase their odds of acceptance. They can't leverage family or alumni connections.

Consequently, these high achievers often settle for whatever school is nearest the closest "L" stop.

"This is not about lowering the bar," said Foley. "This is about ensuring that Chicago remains competitive in the global economy for years to come."

The forum offered a heady dose of optimism. A few hundred of the city's best and brightest — more than 80 percent minorities and half from households that earn less than $20,000 — gathered to take their place in the class of 2016.

From the sidelines, Tim Schwertfeger took it all in, listening to the squeals of delight as kids brandished acceptance letters and financial aid packages.

The former Nuveen chairman grew up in Roseland with limited prospects. He and his wife, Gail Waller, started the Chicago Scholars Foundation in 1996 by giving checks to meritorious seniors. Now, it's a comprehensive program nurturing 280 young leaders for a five-year commitment, from the summer before senior year through college graduation.

"My most iconic moment was seeing this homeless girl borrow a phone and call her mom, screaming 'I'm going to Wellesley,'" Schwertfeger said.

Such dissonance was everywhere at the forum. Carleton College? Grinnell? A few months ago, many students couldn't have found these campuses on a map. Now the offspring of housekeepers and factory workers and those in foster care were asking about summer internships and study abroad programs, perks often reserved for sons and daughters of privilege.

Amid the hubbub was Toi Bowers, a senior at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep Academy, holding an acceptance letter from the University of Dayton along with a financial aid package of at least $25,000. And Shyann Latimore of Kennedy High School, who lives in public housing. Her mother struggles with health issues, so school is the teen's refuge. At the beginning of the day, she feared she'd go home empty-handed. Instead, she left with four acceptances, from DePaul, Bradley, UIC and Southern Illinois, and a $24,000 scholarship in hand.

"I'm going to college! I'm going to college!" she exclaimed, hugging her friend.

By the end, the colleges had handed out offers of $10 million in scholarships — up from $3.5 million last year.

But Chicago Scholars' focus goes beyond getting in. It makes a long-term investment in the teens, so staffers are available to answer all kinds academic and cultural questions going forward: How do I change my major? Who will do my hair in Vermont? It's one reason that the program can claim a 95 percent college graduation rate versus 25 percent for first-generation students nationwide.

A decade ago, Faraz Khan came to Chicago from Pakistan knowing just a few words of English and even less about American life. Today, he ranks third in his class of 300 at Lake View High School, where he serves as student body president, plays first chair trumpet and carries a rigorous course load, including AP calculus. He has a 4.0 grade-point average despite the death of his mother last year.

"At first, I just wanted to stop trying. Then I thought of her legacy of always pushing me to do my best," said Khan.